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vertebrate - 8 dictionary results
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ver⋅te⋅brate

  [vur-tuh-brit, -breyt]
Use vertebrate in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having vertebrae; having a backbone or spinal column.
2. belonging or pertaining to the Vertebrata (or Craniata), a subphylum of chordate animals, comprising those having a brain enclosed in a skull or cranium and a segmented spinal column; a major taxonomic group that includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.
–noun
3. a vertebrate animal.
Origin:
1820–30; < L vertebrātus jointed. See vertebra, -ate 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ver·te·brate   (vûr'tə-brĭt, -brāt')   
adj.  
  1. Having a backbone or spinal column.
  2. Of or characteristic of vertebrates or a vertebrate.
n.  A member of the subphylum Vertebrata, a primary division of the phylum Chordata that includes the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, all of which are characterized by a segmented spinal column and a distinct well-differentiated head.

[Latin vertebrātus, having joints, from vertebra, vertebra; see vertebra.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Vertebrate

Ver"te*brate\, n. (Zo["o]l.) One of the Vertebrata.

Vertebrate

Ver"te*brate\, Vertebrated \Ver"te*bra`ted\, a. [L. vertebratus.]

1. (Anat.) Having a backbone, or vertebral column, containing the spinal marrow, as man, quadrupeds, birds, amphibia, and fishes.

2. (Bot.) Contracted at intervals, so as to resemble the spine in animals. --Henslow.

3. (Zo["o]l.) Having movable joints resembling vertebr[ae]; -- said of the arms ophiurans.

4. (Zo["o]l.) Of or pertaining to the Vertebrata; -- used only in the form vertebrate.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : vertebrate
Spanish: vertebrado,
German: das Wirbeltier, Wirbel-…,
Japanese: せきつい動物(の)
More Translations »

Main Entry: 1ver·te·brate
Pronunciation: 'v&rt-&-br&t, -"brAt
Function: adjective
1 : having a spinal column
2 : of or relating to the major taxonomic group Vertebrata

Main Entry: 2vertebrate
Function: noun
: a vertebrate animal and especially one of the major taxonomic group Vertebrata
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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vertebrate ver·te·brate (vûr'tə-brĭt, -brāt')
adj.

  1. Having a spinal column.
  2. Of or characteristic a vertebrate.
n.
A member of the subphylum Vertebrata.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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vertebrate   (vûr'tə-brĭt, -brāt')  Pronunciation Key 
Any of a large group of chordates of the subphylum Vertebrata (or Craniata), characterized by having a backbone. Vertebrates are bilaterally symmetrical and have an internal skeleton of bone or cartilage, a nervous system divided into brain and spinal cord, and not more than two pairs of limbs. Vertebrates have a well-developed body cavity (called a coelom) containing a chambered heart, large digestive organs, liver, pancreas, and paired kidneys, and their blood contains both red and white corpuscles. Vertebrates include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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